Flower Mound Elementary School was recently recognized as the 2018 Texas School of Character.
Character.org, a national advocate and leader for character in collaboration with Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association, recognized Flower Mound Elementary and six other schools in Texas as schools that have demonstrated their use of character development to drive a positive impact on academics, student behavior and climate, according to a Lewisville ISD news release this month.
Flower Mound Elementary serves 470 students grades pre-kindergarten thru fifth grade. Gayle Nurre has lead the school for 11 years as principal. The school’s current character education curriculum was developed during the past nine years. Flower Mound started with their morning assemblies based on the six pillars: Caring, Respect, Responsibility, Citizenship, Fairness and Trustworthiness and then added Rachel’s Challenge and You Matter.
“We incorporated those practices and beliefs into the Eleven Principals framework in order to build a more comprehensive program, which includes the core values, service projects, shared leadership, community involvement, and a challenging academic curriculum,” Nurre said. “Our hope is to be able to develop the whole child.”
The Schools of Character application process is an opportunity for schools and districts to receive thoughtful feedback for growth and excellence in the area of character development through Character.org’s 11 Principles of Effective Character Education framework. It is also a method of recognizing exemplary schools and districts in the nation.
Since its inception, Character.org has recognized more than 565 schools with the distinction of State School of Character. Criteria for the designation are based on Character.org’s 11 Principles of Effective Character Education, which includes providing students with opportunities for moral action, fostering shared leadership and engaging families and communities as partners in character-building efforts.
“Utilizing components of character education is a large part of our student and staff’s daily routines,” Nurre said. “We are grateful for Character.org and TEPSA for their efforts to create a state and national discussion on the importance of character in education. We are eager to carry this distinction for years to come and are hopeful our example will lead other schools in Texas to participate in this program in order to enhance student’s lives statewide.”
